Chapter 4: Who is the Bastard Spreading Rumors?

As Xie Jiuniang stepped out of the threshold, she suddenly remembered a scandal of the Main Branch from her previous life.

Eldest Uncle Xie had kept a mistress and even had an illegitimate child. Eldest Aunt almost had a falling out with Eldest Uncle Xie because of this matter.

Later, when Xie Ying became a single-root cultivator, Eldest Uncle Xie, under pressure, had no choice but to send the child to the Northern Sword Sect.

Leaving the main hall, she encountered three people coming her way!

It was the lingering Lin Wangchen and Xie Ying, as well as Grandfather’s younger sister, Xie Wenshuang.

Xie Wenshuang had taken a Perpetual Youth Pill^[1]Perpetual Youth Pill: A rare medicinal pill that can maintain a cultivator’s youthful appearance. and still had the appearance of a sixteen-year-old girl, but her eyes were no longer pure, bearing deep traces of time. She was at the Golden Core stage and was the only sixth-grade Alchemist in the clan, holding a high status.

However, Xie Jiuniang didn’t like her.

In her previous life, she had asked her to refine the Spirit Cleansing Pill, but the result was that she arbitrarily gave the completed pill to Xie Ying.

This time, she would rather let the Spirit Cleansing Herb rot than go to her. Unfortunately, the past grievances were known only to herself, and she couldn’t turn hostile because of it.

Xie Jiuniang politely stepped forward and bowed, “Greetings, Third Grandaunt.”

“Mm.” Xie Wenshuang nodded coldly. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly leaned closer to Xie Jiuniang, sniffing back and forth.

Xie Jiuniang was so frightened that she took two steps back, “Third Grandaunt, what are you doing…?”

“Medicinal fragrance! High-grade?” Xie Wenshuang wasn’t asking but stating.

Xie Jiuniang was secretly alarmed.

A dog’s nose? She could smell it?

The medicinal fragrance from yesterday should have already dissipated.

Xie Jiuniang denied, her little face confused, “What are you talking about? What medicinal fragrance?”

Xie Wenshuang said, displeased, “There is the scent of a high-grade spiritual herb on you.”

“Ah? Th-then I’m not sure. I just ate a spirit fruit at Grandfather’s place.” Xie Jiuniang couldn’t possibly admit it.

Xie Wenshuang was suspicious, but with outsiders present, it wasn’t convenient to ask in detail. The medicinal fragrance was very faint, a very rare scent, and she couldn’t recall what it was specifically at the moment. She was eager to go see her older brother. She was the only sixth-grade Alchemist in the clan, and if the clan had any good medicines, they would eventually end up in her hands.

Xie Jiuniang parted ways with the three and wanted to return to her courtyard first.

“Little Daoist Friend, please wait a moment.”

Lin Wangchen’s voice suddenly sounded behind her.

Xie Jiuniang froze, quickly calming her emotions, and turned around to ask in confusion, “You are…?”

Lin Wangchen wasn’t angry at her feigned ignorance and smiled, “Ha, you forgot me so quickly? We just met yesterday. I came out this time to train and deliver some things to the Xie family’s Main Branch on behalf of Senior Brother Haoran. I didn’t expect Little Daoist Friend to be from the Xie family. What a coincidence.”

Indeed, it was a coincidence.

An ill-fated one!

Xie Jiuniang’s mind was in a daze for a moment.

Lin Wangchen didn’t mention the life-saving grace on the surface and also stated his reason for being at the Xie family, dispelling the suspicion of wanting repayment for the favor. If it were the simple-minded Xie Jiuniang from before, she might have really thought it was fate.

But now her thoughts were…

Hmph, wasn’t he just reminding her that he had saved her life?

What was his purpose?

Xie Jiuniang didn’t believe that Lin Wangchen just wanted to have a casual chat.

Sure enough…

Lin Wangchen probed, “Little Daoist Friend, did you pick a spiritual herb from the lion-tiger’s territory?”

“Yes.” Xie Jiuniang nodded.

“Can you sell it to me? You can set the terms.”

“I can’t.” Xie Jiuniang spread her hands and blurted out nonsense, “I just gave it to my elders. You asked too late.”

Lin Wangchen felt regretful.

This opportunity had slipped away!

There was an Earth Spirit Flower in the lion-tiger’s cave.

The Lin family’s ancestral records stated that there was an 80% chance of finding Spirit Cleansing Herb near an Earth Spirit Flower. Another theory was that the Earth Spirit Flower was a companion plant to the Spirit Cleansing Herb.

Before leaving Yunmu Mountain, he could have killed and robbed it. Now…

Lin Wangchen didn’t insist since he couldn’t obtain it.

After he left, the carefree expression on Xie Jiuniang’s little face was gone. In her previous life, Lin Wangchen didn’t know about the Spirit Cleansing Herb

How did things change?

Could it be that because she didn’t let him escort her back to the mansion, he had time to search the lion-tiger’s cave and discovered the hole she dug for the herb?

It had to be said that Xie Jiuniang guessed the truth right away.

Returning to her room, Xie Jiuniang immediately activated the formation and took out the Spirit Cleansing Herb with a heavy heart.

“Can it be kept safe this time…?”

Once others knew the secret, it was no longer a secret.

She needed to think of a way to deal with it! Unfortunately, the Spirit Cleansing Herb had to be refined into a pill with other spiritual herbs to be effective and couldn’t be consumed directly…

---

In the evening, what Xie Jiuniang was worried about arrived.

Patriarch Xie sent someone to summon her.

The five people present were all from the Patriarch’s lineage. Even Eldest Aunt didn’t have the qualification to participate.

Patriarch Xie sat in the main seat.

Seated on both sides below were eldest uncle Xie An, Xie Ying, and Xie Wenshuang.

To Xie Jiuniang’s surprise, she also saw Second Uncle Xie Ping. Usually, this second uncle was immersed in the Dao of Talismans and making babies, rarely showing his face when there was nothing important.

When Xie Ying saw Xie Jiuniang, even though she appeared calm on the surface, her eyes still betrayed a hint of excitement.

Seeing this situation, Xie Jiuniang recalled her previous life and guessed what was about to happen.

Xie Jiuniang first greeted the elders upon entering, as she was the youngest in the hall. Not taking the initiative to show respect would seem ill-mannered.

Patriarch Xie was the first to ask, “Ninth Girl, someone said you picked Spirit Cleansing Herb?”

“No, which bastard is spreading rumors? They’re simply asking for a beating.” Xie Jiuniang denied it with righteous indignation.

Before Patriarch Xie could say anything, Xie Wenshuang beside him scolded sternly, “Lies! You clearly have the aura of Spirit Cleansing Herb on you.”

Eldest Uncle Xie solemnly followed, “Learning to lie and deceive elders at such a young age, who knows how Third Brother has been teaching you. Hurry and take out the Spirit Cleansing Herb. This item has great use for the clan.”

Xie Jiuniang wasn’t angry.

She had long seen through the character of certain people in her previous life, including the clan’s most powerful Alchemist, Xie Wenshuang.

In Xie Wenshuang’s eyes, the Main Branch was born legitimate and inherently more noble than those born to concubines. The children of concubines had to rely on the Main Branch to live and had to selflessly contribute to the Main Branch.

Eldest Uncle Xie was even worse. He couldn’t bully Second Uncle behind his back, so he kept shearing wool from the third branch, but he wasn’t bad enough to dare to take his brothers’ lives. He was just disgusting.

Xie Jiuniang said indifferently, “My parents only taught me what propriety, justice, integrity, and shame are, and what loyalty, chastity, goodness, and evil are. They told me to never forget my original intentions when I grow up and to maintain the bottom line of being human. They specifically warned me that bullying the weak, forcibly seizing things, and other evil deeds are the behavior of beasts, and to never do them, lest they affect my cultivation…”

Xie Wenshuang’s face stiffened.

The three members of the Main Branch looked at Patriarch Xie in unison.

Patriarch Xie sat calmly drinking tea, his thoughts inscrutable.

Second Uncle Xie almost laughed out loud.

Well said!

It was just short of throwing certain people’s faces on the ground and stepping on them. As elders, they were living less insightfully than a junior.

Second Uncle Xie praised with a smile, “Not bad in realization. Third Brother and his wife taught you very well. Snatching someone else’s fortuitous opportunity is not something the righteous path would do, let alone snatching from one’s own family. Father, this precedent must not be set. It’s not scary for a family to decline, but it’s scary if it rots from the roots.”

Patriarch Xie nodded indifferently without speaking.

Eldest Uncle Xie said with a face full of shame, “Father, I was only thinking about the future of the clan and didn’t consider it thoroughly in the moment. I was too anxious.”

Then Eldest Uncle Xie turned to Xie Jiuniang and said, “Ninth Girl, the Spirit Cleansing Herb is too important for the family. We won’t take it from you for nothing. We will definitely give you sufficient compensation.”

Xie Jiuniang sneered inwardly but pretended not to know and asked, “Who does Eldest Uncle want to use it for?”

“It’s for your elder sister. The potential of a single-root cultivator is extraordinary and has great significance for the future development of the Clan.” This was the reason Eldest Uncle Xie used to convince his father, but his Father’s attitude was unclear. He neither agreed nor stopped it.

Xie Ying stepped forward, feeling guilty, “Ninth Sister, this time, it’s my fault. In the future, if you need any help after entering the sect, just say the word. We are biological sisters, one family. There’s no need to differentiate between you and me.”

Eldest Uncle Xie said, as if gratified, “Ying’er, you don’t need to feel too guilty. Ninth Girl has always been sensible. Today, she just didn’t think it through for a moment and won’t really blame you.”

“Daughter knows Ninth Sister is very kind.” Xie Ying responded.

The father and daughter were putting on quite an act!

Xie Jiuniang rolled her eyes inwardly.

Patriarch Xie sat in the main seat, as if an outsider.

Second Uncle Xie looked at his father with this attitude and sighed inwardly.

Before Xie Jiuniang arrived, they had already had a round of arguments.

The benefits of a dual-root cultivator to the family were far less than producing a Heavenly Spirit Root cultivator when the major sects were about to recruit new disciples. Now, Ninth Girl definitely couldn’t resist, like an arm trying to twist a thigh.

Second Uncle Xie knew that his own daughter had always liked Xie Jiuniang, and he also didn’t want her to end up with no benefits at all.

So he secretly transmitted his voice to Xie Jiuniang, “Ninth Girl, the Great Ancestor’s^[2]The strongest expert in the clan. They serve as stabilizing figures that can affect the rise and fall of the clan. lifespan is less than a hundred years. Xie Ying promised to obtain a Divine Transformation Pill within a hundred years…”

Xie Jiuniang froze.

So that’s how it was… no wonder!